First-Aid Kits Can Save Your Life

The recent “Polar Vortex” put a lot of people in mind of how dangerous it can be to get stuck without a safety net, and having a good first-aid kit both in your home and your car is a worthwhile last line of defense.
<a title="First Aid Kits" href="http://www.atgstores.com/emergency-survival-first-aid_3050.html" target="_blank">First-aid kits</a> allow you to be your own first responder and that can save your life. Crazy stuff happens to people every day, but most of us believe it will always happen to someone else. This is a completely natural coping mechanism that allows us to function in what is ultimately an extraordinarily dangerous world.
Some interesting facts (based on the most current data available):
- In 2011, <a title="National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Data" href="http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/Main/index.aspx" target="_blank">1 out of every 6,544 U.S. licensed drivers</a> died in an auto wreck. (<em>National Highway Traffic Safety Administration</em>)
- In 2012, Band-Aid sold <a title="companiesandmarkets.com" href="http://www.companiesandmarkets.com/News/Healthcare-and-Medical/Band-Aid-continues-its-dominance-of-the-US-wound-care-market/NI7229" target="_blank">$819 million</a> worth of bandages. (<em>Companies and Markets</em>)
- It’s estimated that <a title="Centers for Disease Control and Prevention" href="http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/dog-bites/index.html" target="_blank">4.5 million Americans</a> are bitten by dogs every year. (<em>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</em>)
- There have been <a title="Born Free USA" href="http://www.bornfreeusa.org/database/exo_incidents.php" target="_blank">1,998 exotic animal “incidents” and 82 deaths</a> in the U.S. since 1990. (<em>Born Free USA</em>)
Granted, an “incident” doesn’t necessarily equate to an injury in the world of exotic animals – because it’s exotic – but it does happen …
The point is that it’s a wild and wooly world out there and it pays to be prepared. To that end, different first-aid kits carry different things based on their intended use. <a title="Survival Kits" href="http://www.atgstores.com/survival-kits-emergency-survival-first-aid_3050.html?&amp;option0=optionA=336434|33696~Valu&amp;linkloc=catheader&amp;linkloc=catheader&amp;linkloc=catheader&amp;linkloc=catheader&amp;gpid=1002021" target="_blank">Survival kits</a> are better suited for wilderness excursions, <a title="Road Kits" href="http://www.atgstores.com/carroad-kits-emergency-survival-first-aid_3050.html?&amp;option0=optionA=336436|33696~Valu&amp;linkloc=catheader&amp;linkloc=catheader&amp;linkloc=catheader&amp;linkloc=catheader&amp;gpid=1218364" target="_blank">road kits</a> are for vehicle travel and emergency preparedness kits explain themselves.
A good first-aid kit will include:
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- Bandages and dressings
- Stainless steel scissors
- Tweezers
- Instant cold packs
- Antiseptic pads/spray
- Burn gel
- Aspirin and ibuprofen packets
- Antibiotic ointment
- Flashlight
- Bazooka
That last item is optional, of course. To make sure we’re all as prepared as possible, <a title="ATG Stores Homepage" href="http://www.atgstores.com/" target="_blank">ATGStores.com</a> would also like to hear your suggestions for what should be in a first-aid kit.